Reunions 2025

Dear Princetonians,

This year, it feels like Reunions will happen just like every other year. As I write this letter, more than a week before everyone arrives, fences and tents have already begun dot campus and crowd the courtyards of dorm buildings, golf carts are soon to congregate by Maclean House, and the quantity of orange clothing and tiger ears will grow exponentially over this weekend.

But this has not been a year like any other. Princeton and higher education have been subjected to unprecedented scrutiny from the federal government.

In this issue, you’ll find our coverage of this extraordinary moment on campus. Labs have lost millions of dollars of grant money, forcing research to come to a halt. Students are scrambling to find jobs in public service, government, and other sectors; some are considering switching career paths altogether. Nassau Hall has spoken out, even sued, on some issues and remained quiet on others. The Orange Bubble, it seems, has been punctured.

But as the national conversation frets, student life still rolls on. And the ‘Prince’ has been there to document that too: bicker, basketball, and the banal indignities of campus construction.

Princeton, in the end, is just its people. Reunions is a reminder of that — of how far the institution has come, of how much further there is to go, and that we love the people we met in the best damn place of all.

Best,
Miriam Waldvogel
Miriam Waldvogel is the 149 Editor-in-Chief of the ‘Prince.’ She can be reached at eic@dailyprincetonian.com.